Vehicle-wheel.



UNITED STATES IfATEN T FFICE.

\\-'lNFIELD J. MITCHELL AND J .\.\II*IS it. Ill'lUHELL. OF LYNN, MASSACHU-v SETTS, ASSIGNORS TO THE .\IITCHELL PUXCTURELESS PNEUMATIC TIRE COMPANY, OF LYXN, HASSACHUSEITS,

MASSACHUSETTS.

A CORPORATION OF VEHICLE-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. (1,1906.

Application filed November 9,1905. Serial No. 286,544.

Be it known that we, VVINFIELD J. MITCH- ELL and JAMES R. MITOHELL, of Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have. invented certain new and useful Inirovements in Vehicle-Wheels, of which the ollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to wheels for motorvehicles and the like, the wheels having a.

tread or tire adapted to yield independently of the body of the wheel.

The invention relates particularly to wheels of the type shown in our application for Letters Patent of the United States filed January 11, 1905, Serial No. 240,526. In said application we show a wheel having a rigid rim provided at its sides with outwardlyprojecting rigid flanges forming the sides of a deep recess, an air-tube located in said recess and protected by the sides and bottom thereof, the rim of the wheel constituting an inner seat on which the air-tube rests, two outer annular seats rigidly afiixed to the rim and separated by an intermediate opening, a

tread portion or tire engaged with and supported by said outer' seats and made U- shaped in cross-section, and a series of legsections detachably seated in the tire and projecting between the outer seats, said legsections bearing upon the a1rtube, so that the leg-sections and the main portion of the tire bearing thereon are yieldingly supported by the air-tube and are adapted to move toward and from the center of the wheel, the leg-sections sliding in and out in the leg-receiving opening between the outer seats.

The present invention has for its object to provide certain improvements in the construction of the leg-sections whereby their durability is increased and liability of chafing the air-tube is diminished.

The invention consist s in the im provement s which we will now proceed to describe and claim.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a portion of a vehiclewheel embodying our invention. Fig. 2 represents a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fi 3 represents a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. .4 represents a perspective view of one of the improved leg-sections.

IVe find that there are certain disadvantages Fig. 5 represents in perspective the parts of the leg-section disconnected- Y The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the drawings, a represents the hub, b the spoke, and c the rim or felly, of a vehiclewheel. The outer surface of the rim 0 constitutes an inner seat which supports an airtube (Z of any suitable construction.

6 6 represent flanges or side plates rigidly attached to the rim 0 by bolts f and projecting outwardly from the rim at opposite sides of the air-tube.

g 9 represent two outer seats, which are annular metal bands or rings attached to the side plates 0 e by bolts 71 and held apart from each other by transverse space-bars g The outer seats 9 g are provided with hooked flanges 9 adapted to engage the edge portions of the tread or tire i, the latter being U-shaped in cross-section and recessed to re-.

ceive the leg-sections hereinafter described.

The construction thus far described is or may be identical with that shown in the above-mentioned application, the present invention relating principally to the construction of the leg-sections. Thevsaid leg-sections, as above stated, extend through the leg-receiving opening between the outer seats 9 g and slide inwardly and outwardly between said seats. In our former application we have shown the leg-sections as made entirely of rubber, the sides of the sections bearing against the outer seats and being in rubbing contact therewith, while the inner faces of the sections bear upon the air-tube.

resulting from the employment of who ly elastic leg-sections, these being as 'follows: First, the rubbing contact between the sides of the leg-sections" and the outer seats 9 g chafes or wears awayt'he sides of the leg-sections and, moreover, is attended with considerable frictional resistance; second, the contact of the rubber inner faces of the legsections with the rubber air tube causes chafing and wear of the air-tube on account of the frictional nature of the rubber of which the arts are composed. Hence there is some lia ility of ru turing the air-tube.

To overcome the a oveerecited objections, we construct the leg-section as follows Each body f below the enlarged head portion: I

bered rigid rim having an inner seat, "and two outer seats separated by le receivin g,

section is composed of. a body portion-inf elastic material, such as rubber, metallic wear-pieces 9', applied to the sides ofqthe thereo and a facing-strip 3' on the inner surface of the body 7', said facing-strip having an antifrictional surface adapted .to

- bear upon the air-tube d. The wear-piecesin-Fig.3.- Itwill be seen, therefore, that the] necks 7' are the parts ofitheleg Sectionsthat y" are preferably arranged intwoi pairs for each leg-section, each pain-of wearieces bfe-f iIIg OOIIIiGGtGd by a, neck j. I he'fiwearpieces are of such length-that they'do' not meet at the central portion ofthe body '1, but are separated, so that they do-not interfere with the flexibility of'said body. The

wear-pieces may be of any suitablexrnetal I I aa resilient body portion, having a 'h'ea and are arranged in 'rubbin contact; with the outer seats g g, sothat t e'y, sustainthe, wear, preventing the chafin ofji-the riibber vbody and diminishing the 'ctiona'l resistance to the inward and; outward movfrnent of the leg-sections. I The ends'oithe outer I or head portion of the b'ody overe; ban the connectingqreck .jfif'so that when the eg-sections are abutted'tcgether-'end'to end, as shown in Fig.u3,-. -ecessesar;e for-med between them for.'the receptionof the s I ace bars 9 between the outer sea'ts g, ass own I contactwitlr the spac'ae-barsgr; Said spacebars constitute stop members which prevent endwise creeping ofgthe leg-sections and tire. The necks 7" prevent'the chafingand 'wear that would result from contact ofthe rubber'leg-seot'ions with-the stop members. 1 The antii'riction'al faciiig-str ip-j is-preferablya piece ofsole-leather arranged with its grain surface outward or-iin'contact with the airtube. This grain surface is susceptible of a high polish, sothat it constitutes -a'prac tically antifrictional surface, obviating all liability of chafing the air-tube. The. strip i is sufi'icientlyfiexible to prevent interfer' ence with the flexibility of the leg-sections. The facing-strip may be attached to the body portion j of the leg-section by screws or other fastening devices is. I

, We claim- Y a a 1. A ivehicie-wheel comprising. a chambered rigid rim having an inner seat, and two outer seats separated by a leg-receiving space, apneumatic cushion bearing onthe inner seat, an elastic tire U-shaped in cross section' and" having base portions prma-Q nently bearing on the outer seats, and a leg bearing on the pneumaticcushion and movable in said space, said legbeing detachably seated inthe tire andhaving wear-pieces-in rubbingflcontact with theouter seats' ,"2.'.,-A. vehicle-wheel comprising a chamspace,--apneumatic cushion bearing on the inner-seat, a U-shaped elastic, tire having -'base portions permanently bearing on the, outer seats and a leg detachably seated in the tire andmovableim said opening, the leg being composed of separable sections bearing on the penumaticcushion each section having :wear-pieces rubbing contact with the outer seats.

.' 3, A, vehicle-wheel leg-section comprisin adapted to'be seatedin a recessed tire, and 75 a flexible antifrictional inner face adapted to ,bear on-anair-tube. if] i. .A='fv'hicle-wheel comprising. a chain- I 'beredf rigid rim having a seat at its imier ."portion, a pneumatic cushion bearing on'the said seat, an elastic tire having edge portions which are afiixed to the rim between said seatfand. the tread portion of. the tire,f'and are separated by a leg-receiving space, and

a leg interposed between thetire and cushion and movable in said space, said l'eg being provided with a flexiblelantifriction'al inner face" adapted to" bear ou the" pneumatic cushion. I

5. A [vehicle-wheel comprising .a "chambered rigid rim having an inner seat, a pneumatic cushion bearing ionfthe said seat, an i elastic tire having edge portions which are". affixed to the rim between'said seat and the.

tread portion of the tire, and are separated by a leg-receiving space, a leg interposed between the tire and *cushion and movable in said space, an antifrictional facing-strip secured to the leg and vbearing on the pneumatic cushion.

a resilient body portion having recessed ends and adapted. to be seated in a recessed tire,

and wear-pieces having side portions and necks adapted to protect the sides-and the recessed ends of the bodfyportion.

In testimony whereo l I I 'YIOC 6. A vehicle-wheel leg-section comprising have affixed our signatures in presence of two Witnesses; 

